Max Christoffersen

I refer to the article by Max Christoffersen on October 21 ‘‘That critic and conscience thing … ’’, claiming that the Political Science Programme has been ‘‘absent’’ during the recent elections. It is unfortunate that Mr Christoffersen did not think of getting in touch directly with the programme to find out what it has been doing. He may have discovered that, in fact, there was quite a buzz on campus and elsewhere with the events organised by politics staff around the election. The programme organised and facilitated an environmental policy political forum on August 30, with representation from six of the political parties, which attracted a full house on campus and over 2700 watching the livestream of the event. Leading up to the elections, politics staff reached out to various community organisations to give formal and informal talks on social justice, sustainability and politics.

It is worth noting that political science is a broad field, and not everyone specialises in New Zealand politics. The role of ‘‘critic and conscience’’ is one we take seriously, and we do an awful lot of engagement with our respective communities on a range of issues, including the dangers of cyberwarfare, corruption in New Zealand, climate change adaptation, and New Zealand foreign policy. Indeed, the Politics Programme has an ongoing seminar series, open to the public, which sparks lively discussions on current national and international political issues. That speaks of a very active and engaged Politics Programme. Next time, give us a call, Max!

Priya Kurian Professor of Political Science & Public Policy

University of Waikato